WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump is planning to visit Saudi Arabia in mid-May on his first foreign trip of his second term, Axios reported on Sunday, citing two US officials and a source with knowledge of the president’s travel.
Saudi Arabia has been taking a more prominent role in US foreign policy. The country has hosted talks between the US and Russia and Ukraine as Trump seeks a ceasefire in the war, and the White House has singled out the country as a possible participant in the Abraham Accords.
But the report noted that plans for Israeli-Saudi normalization are currently “on the back burner” due to Riyadh’s insistence that such a plan must include Palestinian statehood, a non-starter for Israel.
Read: Playing down normalization prospects, US analyst says Saudis feel Israel ‘looking backward’
Trump said earlier this month he would likely make his first trip abroad to Saudi Arabia to seal an agreement for Riyadh to invest upwards of $1 trillion in the US economy, including purchases of military equipment.
He said on March 6 he would probably travel there in the next month and a half. He noted the first overseas trip of his first term was to Riyadh in 2017 to announce Saudi investments estimated then to be worth $350 billion.
Axios reported the potential trip was discussed in recent weeks between senior US officials and their Saudi counterparts, including on the sidelines of talks about the war in Ukraine, according to sources.
In this May 20, 2017, file photo, US President Donald Trump (right) shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
One source said April 28 was discussed as a potential date for the visit but was postponed, while an official and a source familiar said the current plan is for Trump to travel to Saudi Arabia in mid-May, according to Axios.
The report cited Israeli officials as saying the White House has not to date discussed including a stop in Israel on the May trip.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last week, Trump vowed more countries will be added to the Abraham Accords, the series of normalization his administration negotiated between Israel and some Gulf countries during his first term.
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